What follows is an excerpt from an interview I DP’d with Tom Messner, formally of Messner Vetere McNamee Schmetterer Euro/RSCG.   Tom’s comments about the need to remain nimble and adaptive with respect to changes in technology are as profound today as the examples he cites from the 1980′s.

“The sooner they can adopt a new technology that eases their work, that makes them more productive, they will get it!”

Companies that hesitate, or do not outline a coherent and supportive, (read: people) strategy risk being marginalized within their respective industries.  The flip side however, is that jumping into to social media: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.. needs to be done in a very well understood strategy with respect to what platforms clients are using. Just because your competitors are jumping off the social media bridge does not mean you should jump off that bridge.

Specific to speeding lines, especially in cities such as New York the use of QR codes might be employed as they have in Asia and EU countries, this since they can hold the item/s SKU, Price, inventory, etc.. In addition, it’s yet another great way to build on a loyalty program.

Create within the existing IOS and Android Apps a section for a customized QR generator.

When Sally J consumer enters a store, For example; Union Square North, NYC where it’s not atypical to see twenty or more people on line – she fires up her Starbuck App, opens the section where she had setup a QR code for her favorite drink, a Tall Mocha. When Sally sees the line see steps to the scanner by the door, or the one the roaming Starbucks employee has in their hand and swipes to register her drink order.

On the back-end, the system would register her order at an LC-Display over the Barista station, this along with her name: Sally J. Since the payment would be auto-deducted from her app, Sally steps to the pick-up area avoiding the register altogether. You might want to consider a separate Barista just for these e-Drink buyers, this since will not drain resource time from your main Barista’s, think the upgrade line at the airport for business-class.

The new Panasonic AG-AF100 is Panasonic’s answer to shooting with a supped up DSLR.  From the  test video (on-line, meaning compressed) I’ve seen it looks very clean.    The two most interesting parts are the ability for interchangeable zoom and prime lenses, and the 4/3′rds imager.

As you can see below from the graphic, the sensor is close in size to a 35mm film camera, this verses a 35mm still sensor specific to depth of field.

(Image c. PNZBroadcast)

Other features of special interest to me, include
- SDI
- SDXC Memory Card, meaning less expensive media the P2
- Real waveform and vector scopes within the viewfinder, if you don’t know what a front porch or breezway and how to interpret a scope, then perhaps its time you learned…

With a retail price of 4,800 at B&H, it seems on paper to be an exceptional product for its price class, one has to wonder what the phantom Red Scarlet, now over two years late to the market would look like?

Well not quite however, with the advent of applications like the recent launch of BiznessApps, the company has laid down the gauntlet for a large community of developers who here to fore where charging for whatever the market would bear to create iPhone apps.

This is not to say by any stretch of the imagination this platform is or can be all things to all people however, it has lowered in a dramatic way the cost of entry to the world of each and every company that wants an iPhone apps.

Market Verticals

As you see from the chart to the left, the companies they are targeting are main B2C companies and the list of features listed below indicates
the scope of reach for what you can hope to build and communicate with your customers.

- Update apps instantly with our user panel
- Give customers GPS directions from anywhere
- Directly market to customers through in-app messages
- Create a social media buzz with our “Tell A Friend” feature
- Keep customers informed with business news and deals
- Provide customers with coupons right to their phones
- Allow customers to directly contact your business quickly and easily
- Build brand

BiznessApps is not the first platform to come along for the novice to create limited iPhone apps. Other DIY app platforms include; Swebapps, Kanchoo, Appbreeder and Buildanapp.

No Shortage of Work for Developers

According to people I’ve spoken with in New York, there is no shortage of work for an iPhone developers, especially for larger scale and customized applications.  According to one source, headhunters are marking up developers in some cases to $300/hr, clearly this is a different segment of the market that BiznessApps and other DIY’s are geared towards.

That there is an outgrowth of DIY apps speaks to a need for smaller companies to enter the market at a price point that their business can justify, especially if an iPhone app is just another marketing tool for their company and not their primary product.  At the end of the day, its a good thing that these companies have entered the market, it will not dilute the work of a top flight developer and will grow the market.

]]> http://www.gilberthammer.com/blog/instant-iphone-app-just-add-water/feed/ 0 http://www.gilberthammer.com/slideshow/services/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=services http://www.gilberthammer.com/slideshow/services/#comments Sat, 27 Nov 2010 18:23:22 +0000 Gilbert B. Hammer http://www.gilberthammer.com/?p=1184

- Do you need a streaming media expert, either for on-demand or live event production?
- Do you need someone who understands the video and streaming life-cycle from concept to completion?
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Technology & Application Experience

Camera Platforms:

Panasonic HDX900,  HVX200A, DVX100B
Sony HVR-V1U,  HVR-Z7U

Hardware:

Teleconference Systems; AMX, Crestron – Tandberg, Polycom
Control systems; Extron, YEM scan converters
Production Control; Grass Valley,  Leader, Tektronic
Audio; Various audio mixing boards, wireless/wired mics
Camera Platforms; SONY XDCam, Panasonic HVX-900, HVX200, VX-100b
Computers; Windows Media Server Administration and Deployment, MAC OSX,
PC workstations XP Pro, Win7, basic networking & troubleshooting skills include
Netgear/Linksys routers, hubs and Promise NAS

Applications:

Platforms; VMIX, Veotag, BrightCove
Live Event; Accorant PresenterPro, Expression Media Encoder, WireCast, ProCaster
Encoders; Sorenson Squeeze , Compressor, Windows Media9
Editing; Vegas Video 9, FinalCut Studio, Sound Forge
Image Editing; Adobe CS3, Camtasia, ScreenFlow

Is Amazon Studios the on-line version of American Idol?  Or, is it the Apprentice where the last person standing is the winner?  Is it something completely different and a new model for filmmaking?

How will collaborative movie making work where you upload a script where others are encourage to contribute and critique?  What would motivate you to critique a script someone else would produce?  How much chaff will they have to shift through to find the wheat?  Also, Current TV and others have tried to aggregate micro-level Indie content, will this approach with a prize at the end be enough to create on-going traction, or will it be more of a contest for a lucky few?

This is what you could hope to win in 2011:

$1.1 Million in Awards
› $1,000,000 award for Best Movie
› $100,000 award for Best Script

At the end of the day how it will work?  I’d have to upload a test film, either a sample live action segment or animatic for their staff to review.  I gather there would be teirs of reviewers along with a representative from Warner Bros. Pictures, their studio partner.

“Stories that could become commercial films and delight audiences around the world”

This is a quote from their trailer.  This is of course the goal all filmmakers strive towards, so its not a new message, its not a new medium, is it a new business model and do you think it has the opportunity to succeed?

Do you structure your creative time?  Do you set time blocks to crank out work?  Is there a nexus between them and can you map out a strategy for finding the most productive mix between the two?

Does Instant Messaging, email and phone calls contribute to increased effectiveness for reaching project milestone or does it  simply add distractions?

An associate suggested his operating rule;  1 over 3, namely 1-hour of creative time (mind mapping, brain storming while devoid of cell phone and email interruptions) followed by 3-hours of solid work productivity.  His goal was to replicate that process three time each day, so up to 9-hours of actual productivity.  He did confess that the goal was not always achievable on a consistent basis and sometime the ratio was lower.

Another person I know, takes action as soon as possible when he gets that flash of insight into a solution for a specific issue but does not structure his time as the person listed above.

But how do you establish and stick to such a schedule?, can you simply turn on the creative faucet on demand and then shift to use that output to address project deliverables?

I’ve found the potential for distraction exists when working from a home/office, say verses in a more traditional office setting.  The former requires a greater degree of focus and compartmentalization of time and tasks  as there are potentially too many distractions.  In my case, I have a dedicated office in our house however, not everyone has that arrangement.

In the case of IM and Email,  a company I consulted for used IM almost to distraction, people would IM all day long and I found I would fall into that same trap, even if an email or phone call would suffice.  The rapid fire and detached nature of IM was something I found managers would embrace to keep distance from their workers and also use to force immediate replies.

So what’s the net effect, better quality work?  More thoughtful and measured replies?  Somehow I doubt it.

With even more time pressure on us from management and clients, what solutions can you think or and employ to be more creative while maintaining enough consistent output of work?

On December 16th, New York Open Coffee, I am a Co-Organizer will feature Jeff who will talk about Transmedia, where its been and where its going.  It should be a lively and informative meeting.  Seating is very limited, please see NY Open Coffee for more information.

Some of Jeff’s extensive background:

Jeff Gomez is an expert at transmedia storytelling, incubating new entertainment properties, strategic planning and production for cross-platform implementation.

As CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, an animation and live-action feature film production company and leading creator of highly successful fictional worlds, Jeff transforms intellectual properties into highly successful transmedia franchises. He also extends niche properties such as toys, animation or videogame titles across multiple platforms, evolving them into high quality persistent narratives, which in turn generate multiple revenue streams for his clients.

Jeff has worked on such blockbuster universes as Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, Prince of Persia and Tron, Microsoft’s Halo, James Cameron’s Avatar, Hasbro’s Transformers, Mattel’s Hot Wheels and Coca-Cola’s Happiness Factory.

As a Latino who spent his childhood in the housing projects on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Jeff champions the concerns of young people with his Never Surrender inspirational seminars and curricula. He has also recently worked with Operation Respect, the international non-profit education and advocacy organization founded by Peter Yarrow and dedicated to instilling the values of leadership and empathy in young people. He earned a BA in Film Studies and Communication Arts & Sciences from Queens College, CUNY.

Streaming Media Examples Page

“Mr. Hammer and I have collaborated on streaming media (SM) technology projects including the implementation and deployment of SM at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (MSDW), ’96-’00. Mr. Hammer was involved in the operation, quality control and testing of SM software applications. His attention to detail, high standards and commitment was instrumental in the success of SM deployment at MSDW.”

Mark D’Andrea
Digital Media Consultant,
Morgan Stanley